Frustrated Basketball
by Aitana Otara
Summary: Kise and Aomine have always been playing one-on-ones against each other. But on this particular game, Kise feels all his losses build up into frustrations and he decides to just let it all out. Set in their middle school years. Slash AoKi at the end.


**Frustrated Basketball**

Kise glared at the blue-haired man in front of him who was holding the ball, dribbling it while smirking at him, taunting him, mocking him.

The model had challenged Aomine on a one-on-one after Teiko had just won another game. And now, under the stars in the late Saturday night from which they've been going on and on since this afternoon, both were drenched in sweat, tired (exhausted in Kise's case) and were halfway through with the imaginary FATIGUE METER every person has-though their's, of course, would be undeniably higher than an average person's. But neither wanted to stop yet.

Kise would continue until he could at least shoot a point. He would keep on challenging Aomine, who had tried several times now to leave, until he had finally proved to the other that someone else, other than himself, can beat him. He would try and try. He would ignore all the words Aomine would throw at him, all his sneering and jeering, all his showing off, all the rubbing-in-the-face. Kise would never give up.

But even he has his limits. Despite all the optimism and all the happy thoughts and all the dreams that he knew would come true, his frustrations just kept growing and growing. And, even though he'd never admit it, he was getting tired of this.

Every time he told himself that he was going to score a point, every time he tried to be optimistic, and every time he challenged Aomine, it all was just additional burns to the already bruised and wounded pride he had. He knew right now that he wouldn't win but he still kept trying.

"Here," the taller man bounced the ball towards Kise. "You start this time."

"With pleasure," the golden-eyed man replied. He would smirk at the man if he had the energy or the mood. However, he didn't and neither was he in one. So Kise just tried once more, only to fail once more.

With a quick steal, Aomine stole the ball again and dunked it into the basketball ring of the street court closest to their school that still lacked a proper net.

"192 – 0, Kise," the dark-toned man grinned as he went off to get the ball. "Eight more points and the game is over."

Kise tried to grin back. He tried to look lively and still energetic. He cannot.

He wanted to say, "Don't worry, I'll make it before you can make the remaining eight points." But he couldn't.

He was just tired. And he felt like he can't go on anymore. But his determination is what keeps him going.

In less than twenty minutes, Aomine had scored the eight points. And Kise, who has been playing lifelessly for a while now, noticed that he had gone easy on him in that short span of time. He was somewhat glad that Aomine granted him some chances. But he was also frustrated that he could not even make a point then.

In those twenty minutes, all Kise could see was black and all he could do was try, all he could ask himself was why and all he could think of was his failures to learn from his mistakes every time Aomine would point.

In twenty measly minutes, Kise felt a big black hole finally break through his soul and suck in all the light and life inside him.

In just twenty minutes, the blond model had become a frustrated, angry man who wished to scream and cry and lash out all those things he felt but was too proud to do so.

_Why? Why? Why?!_

With a mocking grin, Aomine went over to the bench where his bag and shirt were placed. He took the time in emptying his water bottle before he started to leave.

Kise stayed where he stood since the last point was shot and hung his head. Why can't he beat the guy even when he was already going easy on him? Why can't Aomine stop laughing at his game play?

"See ya," Aomine said as he walked away.

"Stop!" Kise said just as the other was exiting the court. He saw him turn to look at the blond and he saw the surprise when he saw tears in Kise's eyes. "Why? Why can't I ever win against you!?"

Aomine was silent as Kise fell to his knees and cried into his hands. And Kise knew he would be laughing soon because of his petty reason to tear up.

But Kise would understand that. He'd understand if Aomine would even call him names again while he danced around the shards of his shattered pride.

That's because Aomine wouldn't know how hard things have been lately. Aomine wouldn't understand how basketball was the only thing that has been good in his life and that he was crushing him because of his seemingly godly and formless basketball. After all, it seems Aomine did not even see how Kise has been suffering in the last twenty minutes they had been playing.

Kise's only happiness was to play with Aomine no matter how he sucked at even trying to win against the taller man. _Was. _It was because of those built up frustrations that his happiness turned into a want to beat the dark-toned man. It became his one and only goal.

And now, here he is, crying in a basketball court, his favorite place to be, with a basketball just beside him, his favorite object, because of his basketball, his passion, and because of Aomine, the man he treats as his best friend. Part of the reason was because of how hard life has been on him lately but they were just the base of everything else.

"Kise," Aomine's voice was close. Kise tried to open his now swelling eyes. He found Aomine's feet just in front of him. He didn't look up. I don't want to know how Aominecchi is looking at me now, he thought as he curled in on himself; He probably thinks I'm being pathetic. _Pathetic_!

"Kise." The voice was closer now. Kise looked up and found that the man was crouched down in front of him. Dark eyes bore into swollen and glassy golden ones.

Kise felt tears come up again and he buried his face back in the pathetic ball he had curled himself up into as he wept silently this time. He wondered what he had seen in those eyes. Sympathy? Pity? Ridicule? He couldn't remember. He had concentrated into their interesting color too much—how the light seemed to illuminate it and how the darkness of the sky seemed to reflect from it at the same time, how he could see a sliver of the reflection of his golden hair in them.

Kise shivered. Shit, he thought. He didn't know how long they've been out here or how long he had been crying but he was pretty sure that they've been out too long that their bodies have cooled down enough and the sweat on their skin had dried up. Now the sweat-drenched fabric of his shirt was cold and it made him shiver every time it touched his skin when he breathed.

And then there was warmth in front of him and around him. Kise looked up to find Aomine had put on his shirt and had put his jacket around his shivering shoulders.

And then there was a rare smile on Aomine's face. Kise blinked away the tears that clouded his eyes and bit his lip. He swallowed thickly before he reluctantly took the tanned hand that was extended out to him and pulled himself up. "Sorry," he said as he wiped his face.

"No, _I'm _sorry." And then there were suddenly warm hands on his and they wiped away the tears as well. Kise looked up just in time to feel a warm pair of lips on his.

Golden eyes widen and a heart starts to beat rapidly. Kise stared at his friend as he pulled back and gave him another genuine smile. "I don't like it when you cry… Sorry for making you cry."

"W-what?" Kise managed to say. He looked at his friend with surprise and bemusement. And then he felt his own lips be tugged up into a smile that reciprocated Aomine's. "Thank you."

* * *

A/N: Wahahaha! I updated twice in a week! Achievement unlocked! Wahahahahahahahaha! I love Sket Dance!

I'm sorry, I just feel so happy right now. Or high off of KnB.

Anyways, here's a one shot. I might make another from Aomine's POV but that can wait.

I didn't go into the specifics on Kise's problems but you guys can guess it, I'm sure—some examples are: his modeling career, his grades maybe, family problems (but I don't know much about his home life so I'm skipping out on this one), maybe even a seemingly one-sided infatuation with mentioned ace. They may be elaborated further in the parallel story that is narrated in Aominecchi's POV.

I feel like it ended with a cliffhanger but then again, it seems like the perfect an okay ending. Tell me about your own opinions.

I'm working on my other stories now including the one on hiatus (go figure) and I hope you guys like it!


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